


Day Two Hundred Eighty-Three || Mining

by 365daysofsasuhina



Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [283]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-12-09 18:08:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20999099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/365daysofsasuhina/pseuds/365daysofsasuhina
Summary: Now that he's back into playing Minecraft, Sasuke's making unexpected friends, too.





	Day Two Hundred Eighty-Three || Mining

**Author's Note:**

> (This is a sequel to day 253!)

It’s fast becoming an after school tradition. As soon as he gets home from classes, Sasuke makes his way up to his room and powers up his PC, saving his homework for as late in the evening as he dares. Even his mother has noticed his change in behavior, staring with a puzzled expression up the stairs whenever he goes flying by.

A few months ago, Sasuke wouldn’t be caught _dead_ playing a game as old and ‘childish’ as Minecraft. But the game’s resurgence in popularity means it’s no longer that niche piece of nostalgia that only some people refused to stop playing. Now, it’s once again something acceptable in social spaces. And Sasuke has joined a server put on by someone at his school.

So far, no one is aware of who he is. Well...except one person. While beginning his base back when the server first launched, he found himself approached by another player, who left a simple sign saying, “Hinata was here”. He found out the next day that Hinata was a friend of a friend of a friend, hence the name ringing a distant bell. A few questions later while logged on, and they’d both pretty much figured out who the other was.

But otherwise? Sasuke acts none the wiser regarding the game at school. Naruto is still adamant it’s a kid game. Sakura isn’t one to play games in the first place. But any time he and Hinata cross paths, there’s a brief exchanged look with a smile.

She ended up building a base not far from his own, promising to teach him - as a diehard fan who carried on during the dry spell - everything he’d missed during his years off from the game.

“What even is the point of this stuff?” he complains over Discord one evening, nose wrinkling as he has to mine through yet another vein of diorite. “It looks like bird poop.”

In their voice chat, Hinata can’t help a soft laugh. “Honestly, I don’t know. Most people don’t really like the new stones. I guess they were going for variety…? But...I think they’re all pretty ugly…”

“They’re obnoxious. Keep taking slots in my inventory! I’m trying to go mining for diamonds, not...this crap.”

“Just t-toss it in some lava next time you find some.”

Sasuke grumbles into his mic, carrying on silently for a while before asking, “...what’s the level for diamonds?”

“...eleven, I think? That’s where I go, anyway. It might be a block up or down, but that works pretty well. Going strip mining?”

“I found a pretty good cave, but...ugh, I might as well. I need some better gear!”

“At least we’re far out enough it should be untouched. I bet spawn is already completely dug up.”

“Well, I’ll report back if I find anything,” he sighs. “...what about you? Up to anything interesting?”

“I found a jungle temple!”

“Oh yeah? I...think those were a thing last time I played. Anything cool in it?”

“I’m trying to do the puzzle by hand rather than just...mining into it.”

“I’m not patient enough for that stuff.”

“Remind me to never have you play a puzzle map with me,” she laughs.

“If I want to have to think about stuff, I’d rather just do my homework.”

Hinata bursts into more giggles, and Sasuke can’t help but grin to himself.

There’s some radio silence for a time, and then Hinata gasps.

“Huh? What?”

“I found pandas!”

“Whoa, really?”

“Yeah! Aww, one’s rolling around on its back, that’s so cute!”

“Man, I wanna see!”

“I’ll try to bring one home! It’s actually not too far, I think I can get one in a boat...I’ll have to make a pen…”

“You can just...have a pet panda?”

“Well sure! I mean...you don’t tame it or anything, but you can have them around.”

“Oh...so like a cow or something.”

“Mhm.”

“Well, you get that panda, and I’ll get us some diamonds.”

“You’re gonna…? You’re gonna split your diamonds with me?”

“Well sure, why not?”

“...are we teaming up?”

“...I guess so. Is that bad?”

“No, that’s fine! I just...w-wasn’t expecting it.”

“Why not? We’re neighbors, aren’t we?”

“...I guess so.”

“What’s with the hesitation?”

“Nothing! Nevermind. I’ll go help you mine next time. For now, I’m panda wrangling.”

For a moment he considers asking her again, but...well, she’s avoiding it for a reason. Did he...do something wrong? Well, there’s no real way to know unless she fesses up, so...in the meantime, he goes back to his mining.

By the time it’s late evening, he’s actually found a few veins of the gems, coming back up triumphantly to the surface. “I got thirteen!”

“Nice! Look, I got the panda in a pen!”

Not far from his jungle treehouse is indeed a junglewood pen, complete with a little house with leaves for the roof. A panda sits upright munching on bamboo.

“...dude…”

“What?”

“...I think that’s my new favorite mob.”

“Right? They’re so cute! This is just a normal one, but they come in different personalities! I’ll try to get more to spawn tomorrow. For now I need to get my homework done…”

“Yeah, me too. Here, before you go though…” He gives her six of his diamonds. “You can make a pick and a sword!”

“Oh...thanks.”

“...do you not want them?”

“No! No, I appreciate it. I just didn’t think you’d, um...want to give them to me.”

“I mean, yeah...we’re friends, aren’t we?”

“...I dunno..._are_ we?”

Sasuke blinks at his screen. “...we’ve been playing this after school almost every day for a week. Does that not make us friends?”

“Well...on here, sure. But…”

...but what, he has to wonder.

“...I mean...we haven’t really t-talked outside of here...have we?”

“I’m talking to you _right now_.”

“I mean in p-person! At school! When we’re there, it’s like we’re strangers…”

So _that’s_ what this is about? “I...wasn’t sure if you wanted me to!”

“Well...neither did I!”

“I’d be cool with it!”

“...you would?”

“Yeah! Why not?”

“Well, because I...I’m not…”

“Not what?”

“...cool…”

After a pregnant pause, Sasuke can’t help a laugh. “And, what? You think I am? Or that I’m like, the...the cool police?”

“Well...Naruto thinks I’m...weird.”

“Yeah, well...Naruto’s an idiot.”

“...I had a really big c-crush on him when we were little, and...I think he’s still kinda...w-weirded out by me. I didn’t...w-want to make things awkward. I mean, you guys are best friends, and -”

“My friends don’t dictate who else I can be friends with. You’re not weird, Hinata. You have interests that are maybe a little atypical, but that’s not weird, that’s just...being a person. If you wanna talk at school and hang out or whatever, just...do it! Like I said, we’re friends. Doesn’t matter if we really met through a game, we still talk and communicate and, like...know each other. It doesn’t have to be different in person if you don’t want it to be. I just...since the server started as anonymous, I wasn’t sure if I should say anything.”

For a long moment, Hinata is quiet...but Sasuke waits patiently, knowing she likes to think over her words.

“...o-okay…”

“Okay?”

“Yeah, I...I’m okay. Um...I’ll...talk to you tomorrow. I need to...do my homework.”

“...all right. If you don’t come talk to me tomorrow, I’ll go find _you_ instead.”

She manages a small laugh at that. “...okay.”

“Good. Good luck with your work.”

“Yeah, you too. Goodnight.”

“...night.” He watches Discord as she leaves the channel, and then heaves a small sigh, mic muted. He had no idea she wanted to bridge things from in the game into stuff at school...he figured most would want to keep that separate. And how could he know unless she said something?

He’s really enjoyed getting to know her over the course of the past week. She’s easy to talk to, really charming in her own way, and has proved to be really interesting. It makes him sad he never really talked to her before.

...they’re definitely friends. At least, in his eyes. Still...he can’t help but wonder about her history with Naruto. He _has_ called her strange whenever Sasuke brings her up. Is he really so hung up over that? That was forever ago! And if anything, he’s constant pining over Sakura is just as weird, right? Like he has any room to talk.

Powering off his PC, Sasuke leans back in his chair, thoughts a bit jumbled. Well...for now, nothing left to do but finish his coursework. Tomorrow, he can hang out with Hinata.

And if Naruto says anything stupid (and, let’s face it...of course he will), then Sasuke will just tell him to piss off. Simple as that. Of course...he’s a bit more _blunt_ than Hinata with her soft-spoken manners.

...she’d be wasted on someone like Naruto.

...where’d that thought come from?

Shoving it aside, Sasuke pulls out his calculus textbook, willing himself to think about something else for a while.

**Author's Note:**

> More very random Minecraft stuff xD Not, uh...much more to say than that? I'm not feelin' too well, and had a v long day, I'm exhausted lol - so uh...think I'll call it there~ Thanks for reading!


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